Horowitz: Clinton Soundly Defeats Trump in First Debate
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
But Hillary Clinton’s decisive besting of Donald Trump last night is likely to be highly persuasive for some for the remaining undecided voters and for a substantial percentage of voters now indicating support for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein, the Libertarian and Green Party candidates respectively.
Shedding her usual defensiveness when attacked, Hillary Clinton came across as poised and prepared, seeming unruffled by Trump's constant interruptions and filibustering. In a matter of fact and conversational manner, she effectively highlighted some of Trump’s major vulnerabilities, including his record of business bankruptcies and stiffing of workers and contractors, his failure to release his income taxes, his disrespect for women and his racially tinged birther crusade against President Obama. Just as importantly, she crisply outlined her proposals for expanding middle class opportunity as well as her ideas for confronting terrorism at home and abroad.
In contrast, Donald Trump offered few specifics, and repeated the already debunked falsehoods about being a declared opponent of the Iraq War and that Hillary Clinton was the originator of the questions about Obama’s birth. The results of his refusal to abandon these lies will be post-debate media fact-check reinforcing voters’ opinions that he is mendacious. Further, he still offered no apology or credible explanation for his birther crusade, further insulting people’s intelligence by trying to argue that somehow this was a service to President Obama.
While Trump’s general argument about the need for change and the problems with continuing the status quo as represented by Hillary Clinton were generally appealing, his failure to provide specifics, obvious lack of command of basic policy information and aggressive and off-putting demeanor are likely to result in him winning few converts.
Before the debate, most likely voters believed that Donald Trump was not qualified to be President nor did they believe he has the right temperament for the job. He did nothing last night to overcome these major barriers to his victory; in fact, it was just the opposite.
Hillary Clinton entered the debate as the favorite with a small, but durable lead in the national horse-race and far more paths to the needed 270 electoral votes She emerged from last night in even stronger shape, driving home the points of contrast that work best for her: who is qualified, who has the right temperament, and who is best to lead a diverse nation. There is still along way to go in what remains a relatively close race. We may look back at last night’s debate, however, as one of the key moments in the election--one that smoothed Hillary Clinton’s so far bumpy path to the Presidency.
Rob Horowitz is a strategic and communications consultant who provides general consulting, public relations, direct mail services and polling for national and state issue organizations, various non-profits and elected officials and candidates. He is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island.
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